In a typical year, the Coast Guard records approximately forty eight hundred accidents, seven hundred deaths, thirty three hundred injuries and upwards of fifty million dollars in damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents. Over two thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drown and of those victims, approximately ninety percent, neglected to wear a life jacket. Even when wearing a life jacket, however, a person or pet overboard can be very difficult for a boater to recover. The reason is that once a passenger leaves a boat for the water, they're very hard to see. In drills concerning a man overboard, one member of the boat's crew has the one duty, and one duty only, of keeping his or her eyes on the crew member who's gone overboard, continuously maintaining visual contact until that crew member is back on board.
The prior art has put forth several designs for rescue devices for people fallen into bodies of water Among these are:
U.S. Patent Publication 2012/0178319 to Ross Spencer describes a marine safety device for deployment in water upon unwanted entry by a person into the water to indicate the location of and to provide buoyancy for that person. The assembly comprises a cover for retaining components of the device as an undeployed package, an inflatable mast having a proximal end which engages the cover and a distal free end, and means for inflation of the inflatable member upon contact between the device and a body of water. A weight is located at or near the proximal end of the inflatable member to bias the inflatable member to a generally upright position. The device further comprises means to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly by means of at least one grippable member attached to the inflatable member. When deployed, the device sits in the body of water so that at least part of the inflatable member remains exposed to view above a top water level, thus enabling rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water and enabling the person in the water to use the inflatable member as a buoyant safety device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,788 to Steven R. Stevens describes an automatic, telescoping, buoyant identification device for use with a water sports life vest that has a conventional life vest and flotation device that is equipped with a telescoping spotting pole or flag mounted to the back of the vest. Constructed of a buoyant foam, the spotting pole slides freely within a tubular main housing such that the spotting pole automatically telescopes from the main housing into the air when the wearer becomes submerged in water. The spotting pole has a visible identification device such as a flag, mounted on its end. The identification device is colored in a manner such that it is highly visible to approaching boaters. The device is attachable to existing life vests using fastening devices, such as hook and loop fasteners, ties or belts. The spotting pole and main housing is manufactured of a material selected from the group comprising plastic and foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,30,143 to Larry L. Simms, Steve P. Moisen and Norbert C. Cupp describes a system which automatically or manually senses and signals the event of a person falling overboard from a vessel into water. A portable transmitter is coupled to a sound producing transducer that is carried by the person and transmits ultrasonic or audible sound waves through the water to a receiver carried by the vessel The receiver thereby initiates rescue operations for the person who has fallen overboard.
None of these prior art references describe the present invention.